Latest news with #Tawfiqal-Rabiah
Express Tribune
05-06-2025
- Climate
- Express Tribune
Pilgrims begin Hajj under blazing sun
Pilgrims make their way to Mina as Saudi authorities ratchet up heat protection measures. Photo: REUTERS More or less 1.6 million pilgrims from around the world, including 115,000 Pakistanis, on Wednesday converged on the vast tent city of Mina for the five-day communion with their Creator, Allah Almighty, invoking His divine mercy and seeking forgiveness for their sins. The sprawling tent city of Mina, situated just outside Makkah, marks the first stop for pilgrims undertaking Hajj. They will spend the night there before departing at dawn on Thursday for the plains of Arafat, where they will observe Waqoof-e-Arafat, the Rukn-e-Azm of Hajj, in deep prayer and reflection, seeking divine blessings. Pilgrims will listen to the Hajj sermon in their tents, with translations available in 35 languages. They will perform Zohr and Asr prayers together and spend the entire day engaged in prayers and Talbia. With temperatures expected to top 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), robed pilgrims slowly circled the holy Kaaba. Authorities have ratcheted up heat protection measures such as extra shade to avoid a repeat of last year, when 1,301 people died as temperatures hit 51.8C (125.2F). On Wednesday, pilgrims will perform the tawafwalking seven times around the holy Kaaba. Shaded areas have been enlarged by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands of additional medics will be on standby and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, Hajj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah told AFP last week. Artificial intelligence technology will help process the deluge of data, including video from a new fleet of drones, to better manage the massive crowds.
Daily Tribune
04-06-2025
- General
- Daily Tribune
Saudi urges pilgrims to stay indoors during hajj high point
AFP | Mecca Saudi authorities have asked pilgrims performing the hajj to remain in their tents for several hours during the high point of this week's pilgrimage, citing high temperatures. According to a report in Saudi media, Hajj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah has requested that pilgrims refrain from leaving their tents between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday. The 'Day of Arafat' traditionally marks the high point of the hajj, when pilgrims scale Mount Arafat on the outskirts of Mecca. There, pilgrims assemble on the 70-metre (230-foot) high hill and its surrounding plain for hours of prayer and Koran recital, staying there until the evening. There is little to no shade on Mount Arafat, leaving pilgrims directly exposed to the harsh desert sun for hours. 'We warn against climbing mountains or high places on the Day of Arafat, as it causes extreme physical exertion and increases the risk of heat exhaustion,' the health ministry said in a separate statement published by Saudi media. Temperatures this year are forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius as one of the world's largest annual religious gatherings, bringing together devotees from around the globe, gets under way on Wednesday. Officials have beefed up heat mitigation measures hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's hajj, which saw 1,301 pilgrims die as temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 Fahrenheit). This year, authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials, doubling their efforts against heat-related illness following the lethal heatwave of 2024. Shaded areas have been expanded by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands more medics will be on standby, and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, the hajj minister told AFP last week. As of Sunday, more than 1.4 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage, officials said.
Express Tribune
04-06-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
Pilgrims warned of high temperatures
Saudi authorities have asked pilgrims performing the Hajj to remain in their tents for several hours during the high point of this week's pilgrimage, citing high temperatures. According to a report in Saudi media, Hajj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah has requested that pilgrims refrain from leaving their tents between 10:00am and 4:00pm on Thursday. The "Day of Arafat" traditionally marks the high point of the hajj, when pilgrims scale Mount Arafat on the outskirts of Makkah. There, pilgrims assemble on the 70-metre (230-foot) high hill and its surrounding plain for hours of prayer and the holy Quran recital, staying there until the evening. There is little to no shade on Mount Arafat, leaving pilgrims directly exposed to the harsh desert sun for hours. "We warn against climbing mountains or high places on the Day of Arafat, as it causes extreme physical exertion and increases the risk of heat exhaustion," the health ministry said in a separate statement published by Saudi media. Temperatures this year are forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius as one of the world's largest annual religious gatherings, bringing together devotees from around the globe, gets under way on Wednesday. Officials have beefed up heat mitigation measures hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's hajj, which saw 1,301 pilgrims die as temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 Fahrenheit). This year, authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials, doubling their efforts against heat-related illness following the lethal heatwave of 2024. Shaded areas have been expanded by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands more medics will be on standby, and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, the Hajj minister told AFP last week. As of Sunday, more than 1.4 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage, officials said. AFP
Business Recorder
03-06-2025
- General
- Business Recorder
Saudi hosts urge pilgrims to stay indoors during Day of Arafat
MAKKAH: Saudi authorities have asked pilgrims performing the Hajj to remain in their tents for several hours during the high point of this week's pilgrimage, citing high temperatures. According to a report in Saudi media, Hajj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah has requested that pilgrims refrain from leaving their tents between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday. The 'Day of Arafat' traditionally marks the high point of the Hajj, when pilgrims scale Mount Arafat on the outskirts of Makkah. There, pilgrims assemble on the 70-metre (230-foot) high hill and its surrounding plain for hours of prayer and Holy Quran recital, staying there until the evening. There is little to no shade on Mount Arafat, leaving pilgrims directly exposed to the harsh desert sun for hours. 'We warn against climbing mountains or high places on the Day of Arafat, as it causes extreme physical exertion and increases the risk of heat exhaustion,' the health ministry said in a separate statement published by Saudi media. Temperatures this year are forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius as one of the world's largest annual religious gatherings, bringing together devotees from around the globe, gets under way on Wednesday. Officials have beefed up heat mitigation measures hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's hajj, which saw 1,301 pilgrims die as temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 Fahrenheit).
Observer
02-06-2025
- Climate
- Observer
Hajj pilgrims gather in Mecca under scorching desert sun
Mecca, Saudi Arabia: More than a million Muslim pilgrims poured into the holy city of Mecca ahead of the annual hajj, with authorities vowing to hold a safer pilgrimage amid searing desert heat and a massive crackdown on illegal visitors. Officials have beefed up heat mitigation measures hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's hajj, which saw 1,301 pilgrims die as temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 Fahrenheit). Temperatures were forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius this week as one of the world's largest annual religious gatherings starts on Wednesday. The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means. As of Friday, more than 1.3 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the multi-day pilgrimage, according to officials. This year, authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials, doubling their efforts against heat-related illness following the lethal heatwave of 2024. Shaded areas have been expanded by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands more medics will be on standby, and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, Saudi Arabia's hajj minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah told AFP last week. On Monday, with temperatures topping 40 degrees Celsius, the health ministry said 44 cases of heatstroke had already been treated. The latest artificial intelligence technology will also help monitor the flood of data and footage, including video from a new fleet of drones, from across Mecca to better manage the mammoth crowds. Despite the punishing heat, pilgrims were overjoyed as they arrived in Mecca. - 'Very, very, very hot' - "This is really a blessing from Allah," Abdul Majid Ati, a Filipino lawyer and Sharia counsellor, told AFP near the Grand Mosque. "We feel so peaceful and safe in this place." Abdulhamid, from Nigeria, said he was "very happy" to be performing his second pilgrimage in a row at just 27 years old. But the young man said he never walks out without his sunglasses, describing the temperatures in Mecca as "very, very, very hot". The rites in the holy city and its surroundings, which follow a lunar calendar, fall again this year during the hot month of June. Last year, most of the deaths were among unregistered pilgrims who lacked access to air-conditioned tents and buses. "They were caught by surprise because the intensity of the heat was so high that their adaptation measures failed," said Fahad Saeed of Climate Analytics, a think tank based in Germany. In the run-up to this year's hajj, Saudi authorities launched a widespread crackdown on unregistered worshippers, using frequent raids, drone surveillance and a barrage of text alerts. - Arrest and deportation - Hajj permits are allocated to countries on a quota system and distributed to individuals by lottery. But even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs prompt many to attempt the hajj without a permit -- though they risk arrest and deportation if caught. Along with hefty fines, those found illegally entering Mecca during the hajj face a potential 10-year ban from Saudi Arabia. Large crowds at the hajj have proved hazardous in the past, most recently in 2015 when a stampede during the "stoning the devil" ritual in Mina, near Mecca, killed up to 2,300 people in the deadliest hajj disaster. Saudi Arabia, which is home to Islam's holiest sanctuaries in Mecca and Medina, earns billions of dollars each year from the hajj and pilgrimages known as umrah, undertaken at other times of the year. The pilgrimages are a also source of prestige for the Saudi monarch, who is known as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques of Mecca and Medina. For Mariama, a 52-year-old pilgrim from Senegal, the journey to Mecca has fulfilled a life-long dream. "I was dreaming about it, thinking about it every time to come here to do the hajj," she said.
